Corporate Digital Responsability Report 2022

Corporate Digital Responsibility Report 2022

Corporate Digital Responsibility Report 2022

Digital Technologies: Characteristics and Ethical Issues

What makes digital technologies different from non-digital technologies to warrant a specific discussion on ethical challenges? In short, the inherent characteristics of digital technologies point to a self-evolving nature which raises ethical dilemmas that are only heightened given the pervasiveness and speed at which digital technologies have become an integral part of daily operations. Three key characteristics unique to digital technologies are often cited in this context. The first characteristic is the malleability of software, which comprises the backbone of digital technologies. Malleability is characterized through its flexibility and lack of in-built purpose (Richter & Riemer, 2013). Instead of being created for a specific purpose with prescribed content, malleable software allows for interaction-based usage practices that open up the potential for new uses that cannot be foreseen. Second, unlike analog technology, digital devices are reprogrammable, enabling a separation of the functioning logic of the device from its physicality (Yoo et al. , 2010). IT-based solutions can be continuously reprogrammed, and are constantly in flux, even after their release (Nambisan et al. , 2017). One example would be in the area of “smart” products: cyber-physical devices that possess software-based capabilities (Raff et al. , 2020), such as smartphones or smart speakers, that require adaptation in the form of apps, skills, or actions to become truly valuable for their consumers. The third characteristic is the increasingly autonomous and intelligent nature of digital technologies. AI is a case in point. Such technologies are advancing from routine

mechanical tasks to potentially high levels of cognitive thinking. This ability to learn and act autonomously carries many unknowns. Yet at the same time, some ethical issues arise from these characteristics, and include the following: Privacy In the context of digital technologies, privacy can be broadly distinguished between data privacy and personal privacy. Data privacy relates to acceptable norms of how authorship, movement, and modification of one’s data is defined (Stahl et al. , 2016). Personal privacy touches upon fundamental issues related to one’s right to be “left alone,” human dignity (Floridi, 2016), and control over how one is represented in the online sphere. Autonomy Autonomy is generally described as the ability to construct one’s own goals and having the freedom to make one’s own decisions. In the context of digital technologies, autonomy is discussed in two ways. The first is how digital technology infringes on autonomy through increased dependence (e.g. , via social media addiction). At the same time, digital technology can increase autonomy and enable human enhancement. Agency The idea of agency is rooted in whether someone or something is capable of performing an action. One issue that is mostly discussed in relation to AI and accountability is whether nonhumans could, at some point, have agency. This issue is highlighted in digital technology research.

Trust Trust is often connected with privacy and security, chiefly as it relates to the processing of data. Trust is an evaluation of the perceived credibility, motivation, transparency, and responsibility of a system, its designers, and its operators. When a trusting relationship exists, data processing can proceed uninhibited within an agreed framework of accepted practices or purposes (Stahl et al., 2016). Identity Identity concerns are associated with data protection and anonymization, as well as having control over a person’s sense of self online. Identity is often closely linked to privacy as a person’s sense of identity and is relevant to discussions and practices around personal data collection and use.

10

11